Don'ya Ukraine's Kitchen persists after zero turnout at free Zumba event downtown
The restaurant rescheduled and is pushing forward despite a summer marked by downtown closures and construction challenges.
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Don'ya Ukraine's Kitchen threw a free Zumba class on Sunday with invites sent to 13,000 people. Several registered. No one came.
"Downtown isn't always easy," the restaurant posted on social media Monday. "Yesterday, we showed up, set everything up, and waited… but no one came. Of course it's disappointing. But if there's one thing we've learned over the past few years, it's that building community means showing up — even when it's hard."
The restaurant rescheduled the class for July 23, and a few people showed up. Co-founder Janice Krissa said the team is committed to continuing despite the setback.
"As long as we can, we'll try," Krissa said. "We'd love to see our customers happy, and we'd love to see this thrive."
Krissa says "it's really tough to do business" in downtown Edmonton right now. The sentiment is widespread: Greta, known for arcade games and Oilers watch parties, closed in July. Restaurants PlayWright and Kommune Café also shuttered. Before that, Khazana — ranked Edmonton's best Indian restaurant by Edify Magazine in 2025 — locked its doors permanently, citing construction as a key factor. Business leaders are now calling on city council to treat downtown recovery as a crisis, pointing to prolonged construction, reduced foot traffic, paid parking, patio fees, and rising operating costs as compounding challenges.
At a glance
Where is Don'ya Ukraine's Kitchen?
Don'ya Ukraine's Kitchen is located in downtown Edmonton.
When is the rescheduled Zumba class?
The rescheduled Zumba class at Don'ya Ukraine's Kitchen is on July 23, 2026.
